Lakes mini-report

[Gavin Yates]

Just thought it might be pertinent to post a mini-report on a very enjoyable mini-weekend in the Lakes.

After getting stuck in Edinburgh on Saturday - domesticity sometimes gets in the way of diving - me and Fi got on the road and popped down to young Hayhursts.

After rigging up some gear and drinking all of Andy's tea we started on the main event for the weekend. The SDI CPROX course - CPROX is basically the good stuff out of the MFA plus oxygen admin.

The team including me and Fi, Ben, Tim, Hobby, Mrs Hobby and a further cast of diving reprobates.

The course was informative and enjoyable particularly when Hob told the assembled company of a method to ensure a casualty vomits if needed. Needless to say I cannot reveal this on a family orientated website but I'm sure Hobby will.

Put it this way I'll never be able to keep a straight face if somebody gives me the signal to ascend again.

After the course finished the usual habit of keeping the local chinese takeaway in business started and it was really nice to have a spraff with the boys.

Off me and Fi toddled to our B&B and after a fine breakfast next day we met up with Andy and Brett and Ben and the boys at Wast.

Wast was a bit dark and blowy and it was drizzling but I had new toys to play with so it didn't bother me. Fi decided that our new car was warm and dry and told me: "You on yer own sunshine."

I joined up with Ben - who was doing a navigation exercise and a few of the other boys at the pinnacles.

The idea was to drop in swim along/pull along the line that goes to the drop-off. Pop over the edge down to about 30m and then Ben was due to bring everybody back apart from me as I was gonna come back along the line and play with my boyancy.

My new twins were very comfy but despite dropping a few kilos I was sooo overweighted but with a big mound of air in the wing and a nicely filled drysuit I was both neutral and very warm. I think I'll need about 1/2kg eventually but time will tell. On the way out and on the way back I did all the shut-downs and found them much easy with warm hands than cold but still only took a few seconds thank god.

I spent ages getting back and young Ben had already navigated his way back successfully. Afer popping out of the water I could see Fiona giving me the please can we go home it's 3.5 hours back to Edinburgh look. So we went round the corner said hello to Steve W who was doing a spot of teaching and then drove home.

It all added up to a fine w/e and when you're in North Wales on the YD massive gig ask Hobby what his thumb's for !!!

[MATTBIN]

Gav
glad you enjoyed at learnt something (Hobby is sooo Knowledgeable).

Off topic - get Edinburgh to do congestion charging - it works.
Matt

[Hobby]

Knowledgable...mmm...possibly in matters that are of no use to man or beast!
My thumb,quite average really but capable of things that would turn your stomach(as Gav says,literally!).This we will look at further Grasshopper,later.
It was a cracking night,good venue,good subject,good food and fine people,discounting myself who managed to lower the tone of Andy's very effective teaching,not to any detriment I hope.Looking foward to the next time!
Now then,you're feeling sick are you,just.................
Take care,Hobby

[Dr Stevil]

My weekend at Wast...

Drove over to the Wast Youth hostel Friday night with Liz (my other half), and three undergraduate trainees (two of whom could talk the hind legs off a donkey).
Communal breakfast with the kiddies at 8am, at the dive site by 9.30. took trainee into water at about 10.30, brought trainee back out of the water at about 10.35 (ears blocked at 2m, trainee in tears 'cos of pain), took next one in, out after 15 mins, more blocked ears. Later found trainee with a functional eustachion tube and had a 30 minute pootle doing mask removal and all the rest of that good stuff, brrrrr......

Communal spag bol that evening with the little dears, entertaining conversations from trainees about old music (ie 1990-1995, sigh...), bottle of Chateau des Chassolet with the grown ups.
Later, the kiddies are rampaging around each others dormitories annoying the other hostelers, (oh to be 19 again...)

Sunday, more blocked ears and trainees in tears, so in and out of the water like a fiddlers elbow. One panicked during mask clearing and bolted the whole 2 metres to the surface, where she spat her reg out for some reason and tried to empty Wast by drinking it, so out of the  water for hot drink, hankies, neurofen plus a (literal) shoulder to cry on.

Spotted the YD troop arriving so headed over to the next bay to catch up wit da boyz

Eventually found one trainee that could actually do the drills without crying or bolting and got through some Ocean Diver drills (whoo-hoo!).

Chee-az
Steve

(Edited by Steve W at 12:20 pm on Feb. 27, 2003)

[Ben Harris]

Steve how many were you training, looked like a small army was being raised!! next stop Poland.

[Dr Stevil]

THere were five instructors, four assistant instructors and about 16 or so trainees, which is about 50% of the recent intake for the club, still not a patch on the ~40 of us descending on Anglesey!
Chee-az
steve